Consumer products, such as solid deodorant sticks, typically are contained in a plastic body, such as an oval configured plastic carrying body. The carrying body usually includes a top lid for covering the carrying body and a circular adjustment knob positioned on the bottom of the body for controlling the amount of solid deodorant stick forced out of the carrying body.
These types of consumer articles are packaged typically in individual containers, boxes or vacuum sealed packages for display and marketing. The individual packaging of each product has market appeal, and for years this manner of marketing has been standard for the packaging of many different consumer products such as deodorant sticks. Recently, emphasis in packaging has shifted from packaging a product individually to packaging a plurality of the consumer products into one display tray or package for reducing the amount of waste the consumer must dispose. Individually packaged articles generate higher amounts of waste products in the form of discarded boxes, vacuum packages and other containers.
Preferably, a plurality of products are packaged in a point-of-purchase display tray or other means where the consumer can select the product directly from the tray. When the point-of-purchase display tray is empty, the display tray then is discarded. One of the drawbacks for such a point-of-purchase display tray is the apparent lack of means for retaining the articles in the display tray.
Some prior art proposals include packaging designs which have slot openings for receiving a bottom portion of the article to be retained. These proposals disclose packaging designs for retaining bottles and cans. Typically the packages are of the wrap-around type and include a top cover or wall for engaging the top portion of the bottle or can. The wrap-around nature of the package aids in retaining the articles in the package. However, there are drawbacks to this type of package design. Typically, a consumer must purchase the entire package and contents, and cannot selectively choose one bottle from the package without destroying the package. Examples of these designs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,339,176, 4,382,505 and 4,875,586. Other packaging proposals disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,986,628 and 4,067,471 to Prodel disclose open top packages with interconnecting side walls for individually storing bottles in separate compartments. This type of package allows withdrawal of bottles or other articles from the package without destroying the package. Nevertheless, this design proposal requires compartmentalizing the package which requires excess packaging material requirements and does not ensure adequate retention of the articles in the package.